Little Girls
by Bara Shibenjin
Summary: They had a couple classes together so they talked every day on the way to class. There were no worries about losing friendship. But for such a good friend, he was still so stupid. Well, more so than people might think : Polarshipping. OLD FIC. Due for re-write soon.


This one-shot is the result of my random musings one day. Okay, well maybe nothing's ever _really_ random for me; my fics come either off inspiration of other writers' great work or off of some stray thought brought on by some other thought of mine. Pretty abstract but that's me. To note, this fic has been reworked as far as grammar.

Now read.

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. . : Little Girls : . .

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It had been raining most of the week so the lack of precipitation on the present day was more than welcomed. The sun hung high in the cloudless sky that afternoon and it was, thankfully, not hot. Still, she held up a well-manicured hand to fan herself however, perhaps out of habit. Either that, or it could be the fact that her mind wasn't on herself, which, as some would say, was a first.

The fresh air was nice which explained why she was outside. The plan had been to catch up on some homework or to call Téa just to talk, it would likely end up the latter, but as soon as she's sat down at the metal table, all plans were off save for one: watching Joey Wheeler and her.

There they sat, so close that any closer and the girl would have been on his lap. They weren't being obscene or anything, especially since they were out in public on campus, but Mai's violet eyes stayed locked on the pair not so far from her. Her perfectly lipsticked lips were pursed, the noticeable sign that she was irritated if her tightly crossed legs were not enough.

Joey and _whatever-her-name-was_ were just talking, all the whispered conversation of a typical couple, complete with smiles and startled-sounding giggles from the girl who was clearly trying to draw attention to herself. She didn't seem to have caught anyone else's aside from Mai's. The older girl watched when Joey's girlfriend leaned in and they started kissing.

Suddenly, Mai's hand froze from fanning absentmindedly and her palm smacked flat onto the cast-iron table with a noisy clang, as if she was the one wanting the attention. And she got it from a few seated not too far away but the couple she watched was oblivious enough that they did not hear and apparently still did not see Mai.

They went on for a couple minutes before the girl stopped and got up, with some word she'd be back, Mai guessed, or she doubted Joey wouldn't have continued to sit there.

She hated it.

She hated it because she couldn't understand it. For the life of her, Mai couldn't understand how Joey was satisfied with dating immature little girls. Not that they were so much younger, most of them were only a year or two younger than him, but by little girls she meant maturity mentality-wise.

Maybe he was deluding himself into thinking the immaturity was worth it? Well he never seemed to think as much as he should anyway but he couldn't really be that stupid. She guessed he was just settling, not expecting anything better to come his way…

Even without being preoccupied, he still didn't seem to notice Mai though they weren't too far from one another, really just the distance of a few tables. She could tell he was thinking by the way he stared down at the table in front of him without looking anywhere else. Thinking wasn't always a good thing when it came to the guy and Mai was sure she didn't want to know what his thoughts were. She was content to observe him alone without the little broad all over him.

Sometimes Mai forgot that he was cute, as ridiculous as that sounded. Or maybe she was in denial about it? But the fact that he was seriously cute didn't seem any more obvious than now. A smile slowly worked its way onto her pursed lips and it almost looked as if she was recalling some memory, and perhaps she was in a way.

It didn't much matter what he wore even if it was one of those jackets he seemed so fond of. There were other things that had charmed Mai over time, like that solid jawline and those broad shoulders. Then there was that dirty-blond hair of his. Even now it was un-brushed and messy as always but it suited him, especially the way it hung just slightly in his hazel eyes. At first glance, you would think they were brown but they were actually a hazel, a rich brown in the center that melded into just a hint of faded green at the edge of the irises. Yes, Mai had been quite close enough to clearly observe that, enough to recall the details from memory as she was doing now, or had been at least. _Whoever-she-was_ had returned, with a hug for Joey that was unnecessary as she'd only been gone a few minutes…

The smile was gone as quickly as if it had never been there at all and Mai's mind pulled from memory, somewhat reluctantly, as she returned to different thoughts as they randomly floated through her mind, which was already cloudy with frustration yet again.

So much for her moment of calm…

Duels didn't equal life so he'd ended up in the same local college as her. She had moved back to Japan and things had been straightened out with her life, college was the way to do it. She didn't know what she was going to do with a degree but it was a definite step in a better direction for her life; it was the same for Joey. And, upon returning to Japan, she'd also gotten back into dueling, thanks to Joey. But now that he was busy all the time, she didn't feel much like messing with the cards, not without him anyway.

Just the fact that Joey had gotten into a college was apparently 'beyond impossible', as Seto Kaiba had put it, but in the end, tuition had been provided for by Kaiba Corp. As Téa had later explained to Mai, Yugi had spoken to Ishizu first who had, in turn, taken care of getting the CEO to agree. The Egyptian was quite the magician it would seem…

They had a couple classes together, Mai and Joey, so they talked everyday on the way to class. There were no real worries about losing friendship. But for such a good friend, he was still so stupid, more so than people might think and that was certainly saying something. Sure, by now he'd managed to figure out what the usual date consisted of but he had a different girlfriend every other week.

They were so immature, all of those girls. All they wanted was a bad boy. Sure he was goofy but that side of him didn't seem to show right away with the various girlfriends and Mai was more than happy to know that side of Joey was more reserved for his old friends and for herself. But it was ironic that all the girls didn't care about anything than the confident side they saw of him. With that hair and the devil-may-care attitude, he channeled that ideal bad-boy aura even if he wasn't hard-core enough to be one.

But why?

What was the point in having that kind of guy? To prove something to yourself. As far as Mai could think, they were really trying to grasp something they didn't understand and a guy with a fearless attitude made them face the unknown or some mess like that. It really was too ironic that Joey wasn't just that kind of guy. He really cared a lot for people, but he was too proud to let on. Every relationship he got himself involved in, he put a great deal of care in. she knew the efforts he made because she'd helped him make them. Yes, when Joey had a girlfriend problem, who did he come to with it? Why his female best friend Mai Valentine of course!

She sighed somewhat wearily.

None of those girls knew the time Joey spent planning and all sorts of things. And because he wouldn't let on, and that they were stupid, all the plans failed because the girls tore them down with immaturity. The girls he dated were all the same. Not one of them knew the first thing about love.

It might be a sad thought really, but Mai was past sad because Joey was too forgiving when it came to them. That made little sense because he wasn't so forgiving unless it came to important things. Maybe…

Maybe he wanted something serious in a relationship and that was why he forgave…

Leaning forward over the table, Mai set her chin in her hand. She hadn't thought of it that way until now but if it was true then there was another sad fact to add : Joey was maturing. He was going places but the stupid girls he dated weren't.

_Whatever-her-name-was_ wasn't any better than the rest but at least she was prettier than the last one. She was a bit tall, but not taller than Joey unless she wore heels. She was blonde too but her hair wasn't nearly as long as Mai's thick tresses. She had a decent figure, Mai guessed, but not every girl was as blessed as herself. A partial smirk pulled at one corner of her mouth before her thoughts moved on.

All the love he never had as a kid…

In a way, he was angry about it, she knew. And that anger was reflected in his dedication to be the opposite of what his father was. It was a drive to be a better person. She had seen it in the way he would kiss the stupid girls. As a little expectant as it sometimes was, she knew it was just a plea. A request that someone answer, fully reciprocate his feelings even, set him straight on the serious relationship he wanted.

How could he keep picking up girlfriend after girlfriend? Did he really think any of those girls were serious? Was he really satisfied with having such short relationships?

…

Didn't he know how much more he could have?

Mai had been there: in and out of relationships. It was harder than anyone would think. It had taken broken heart upon broken heart to teach her true love, and everything it truly was. That was what Joey deserved. True love was what Joey deserved.

Deep down, Mai wanted to prove to him that there was a girl for him that understood everything: who he was and what he'd gone through. She wanted to prove it all to him. And the thing was, she didn't want to set him up with another girl.

No.

She wanted to be that girl. She wanted to be the one to show him it there was more to love than he knew. There was so much more! So much more he was capable of with his plans, so much more he deserved in response to his kindness, however invisible it was. And perhaps Mai was being selfish but she didn't care. She knew what she wanted and that was what would matter for the both of them.

She sat up straight as the couple stood together to leave, a look on her face that clearly spelled determination.

And frustration.

She was done sitting by passively, giving him advice and acting like she was okay with him dating whoever. Forget her pride! She was sick and tired of it. Mai was frustrated and she had made a decision. Whatever was about to happen, would happen. If she got what she wanted good, if not then at least she was going to make sure Joey never forgot her no matter what. Specifically, she was going to make sure that every other time he'd kissed a girl was just a memory in comparison to her and it'd be so simple due to one certain thing : Joey always initiated a kiss…

Without a thought, Mai rose from her seat, the metal chair grating the concrete slightly. Then, she made her way over to the pair. Once again, they didn't notice. The girl was trying to take his arm. He'd let her, Mai guessed. But she was proved wrong as, when Joey finally noticed her approach, he took his arm away from the girl.

Now was never a better time to make good on that little goal of Mai's. It's now or never, as they asll seemed to say… So, without saying a word and before he was able to so much as blink, she seized his collar with both hands and dragged him to her. He wasn't the first guy she'd kissed and neither was she the first girl he had kissed but all that experience had not prepared her for what it felt like.

Not this time.

The moment her lips touched his, some foreign sensation shot through her entire body. What it was, she didn't know because this was the first she'd felt it. It… It felt like pure contentment and anticipation, the strong opposites joined impossibly and perfectly together. It felt like the very first firework in what was promised to be a spectacular show.

Mai was thrown completely off-guard.

So, there they remained, still without movement and both for the same reason.

Something in the back of her mind, reminded her what she was supposed to accomplish with all this. She was should be in control here but threatening to drown her was the desire to do the exact opposite : wait for him to take initiative and kiss her himself. And despite the reminder, she couldn't seem to make herself move.

His hazel eyes were wide with surprise as they stared back into her own.

_Pull it together girl!_ A voice in her head finally managed to wake her up.

Mai pressed her eyes shut to focus on what she was doing, kissing him as she let every ounce of her frustration and confusion fuel her, kissing him even if he continued to stay as still as a statue out of shock; she didn't care about that. She focused on kissing him while all else in the world faded from her mind, including a vague screeching noise she didn't recognize, as all that mattered was her...and him...and **this**.

Everything else was all white noise soon enough and she knew nothing. Nothing but herself... and the tingles spreading over her skin like fire... and her own heart starting to pound and him... and his heart beat starting to race like hers. She was just close enough to feel it... And his smell. A mix of car engine oil and something else thick…that aftershave she'd convinced him to start using. It was familiar. It defined Joey.

And it was so delectably male.

Her burning fingers were beginning to shake. The results from the drive of her own frustration were dragging her under. She knew she was getting lost. All her thoughts were gone, replaced by new ones all centered on Joey. Her frustration had run out.

This wasn't about being angry anymore.

Slowly, her death-grip on the collar of his jacket loosened but not fully. She'd gotten his attention, even if she had almost forgotten her goal, so now it was time to drive her point home. And of course, she couldn't just leave it alone without throwing in a twist. Leaving things alone was not how Mai Valentine worked. So, when she had finally slowed and stopped, she tried to push distracting thoughts aside as she opened her eyes and pressed a simple kiss to a corner of his mouth. Then she leaned her head in closer to place her mouth near his ear with a whisper so even and serious despite herself.

"Joseph… When you're done playing around with little girls, let me know."

And with her entire task coming to a close, she let go of his collar to step back. Turning, Mai simply began to walk away. Of course, before she was too far, she made sure to look back over her shoulder and offer him a playful wink before continuing on her way.

A smile came to her lips as she heard _whatever-her-name-was_ demanding answers from Joey who sounded still too surprised to reply normally. At least that screeching noise made sense now, it'd been that girl.

Mai was well aware she'd started something other than just a fight between that girl and Joey. She'd started a brand new chapter in the relationship she and Joey had begun some time ago. Over the years it had become quite the story and she welcomed the idea that there might finally be a twist in the plot.

Of course, that was all up to a certain blond.

She'd made the first move, now it was his turn.

* * *

I was seriously considering making this idea into a whole story but I'm not sure it'd be popular enough so I suppose I'll leave this as a one-shot.

And…this was my first try at JoeyMai. Let me know how I did?

- Botan (former Bara)


End file.
